Hanwha Ocean claims world-first in ship-to-ship LNG transfer

Hanwha Ocean has undertaken what the shipypard is calling the world’s first ship-to-ship transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) between vessels under sea trials.

Based on photos taken by Hanwha Ocean, the vessels involved in the ship-to-ship transfer of LNG were LNG carriers Maran Gas Syros and Woodside Jirrubakura. 

"This breakthrough not only reduces environmental impact but also resolves the risk of schedule delays caused by terminal congestion. Traditionally, LNG carriers conducting gas trials must first load LNG from a terminal and later return the remaining LNG once trials are complete. Now, with this innovation, LNG can be directly transferred to another vessel under trial at sea, significantly improving efficiency and flexibility," the company said in a post to its LinkedIn social media page.

Hanwha Ocean cited another claimed world-first as part of the shipyard’s proclaimed expertise in gas trial technologies, pointing to a ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation within the shipyard.

In 2023, India’s state-owned natural gas firm GAIL performed a ship-to-ship transfer midway through a lengthy journey from the US to India in what it called the world’s first ship-to-ship transfer of LNG.

Chartered LNG carrier Castillo De Santisteban performed a ship-to-ship transfer midway through its journey, transferring its LNG cargo to another chartered vessel, QatarGas’ Al Gharrafa, which proceeded to Dahej in Gujarat to discharge the cargo. 

The 54-day journey via the Suez Canal and Gibraltar is estimated to emit about 15,600 tonnes of CO2. GAIL claims the transfer saved about 8,736 nautical miles, equivalent to 7,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and halved the voyage duration for its chartered vessel from 54 days to 27 days. The optimised gain for GAIL by using the operation exceeded US$1M, according to the company.